Welcome
to our fourth edition of the SHINE Newsletter.
I apologize for the missing April and May editions. I have been busy with wrapping up a school
year and being the mother of four! If you
have any comments or feedback please
feel free to email me at:
graham_cracker490@yahoo.com Marla
Graham
SHINE 2006
Are
you ready for another incredible conference?
We
are gearing up already for this year.
Mark your calendars for
SHINE
SURVIVOR '06 with keynote speaker
Jennifer Sands who lost her husband in the 9/11 tragedy in
A thought...
God
is opening doors for us to spread our wings a bit in 2006. It has been exciting to watch God answer our
prayers. If you know of a church that
may be interested in hosting a SHINE conference please let us know! Also check out new web
page www.shine4jesus.com. It is still under construction but looking
great!
Lessons I Learned From an Easter Bunny ?
Okay so Easter has come and
gone, I realize that! Its just that
being the mother of four doesn’t always afford me the luxury of journaling my
thoughts when the time is right! So
please bear with me and read on!
It was Saturday afternoon before Easter here
at the Graham house, when my children saw the neighbor cat carrying something
in his mouth. At first the thought was
that he was really a she and there were new kittens to welcome. However, in just a short time my oldest,
Jeremiah, discovered that the cat was actually carrying a baby bunny. The cat was bringing home the bacon so to
speak. (Gross, I know but it is a reality!)
Anyway, my children, indignant at the very thought, quickly chased the
cat away and just as quickly coaxed their soft hearted daddy into rescuing the
bunny. My husband, Jerry, gently bathed
the badly wounded bunny and treated “Fighter” (yes, they named it!) with
antibiotic spray. Later he nursed
Fighter with a syringe and some special milk.
As we went to bed the kids all prayed for the bunny and we were hopeful
that Fighter might actually make it. My
husband and I discussed what an awesome Easter story we would have to share if
God chose to give this bunny new life!
Easter morning brought the traditional chaos
to our house and the bunny was almost forgotten in our rush to church. Just at the last minute, Jeremiah remembered
and did a quick check on Fighter only to find that he had not made it through
the night.
As soon
as we arrived home from church we set out to give Fighter a proper burial
service. Jerry, being a great pastor and
even better daddy, presided and it was his speech that really gave us all an
awesome perspective. He reminded the
children about how angry they were for Fighter and the injustice that he
received from the enemy cat. He reminded
them of how much they loved and cared for the bunny the instant they knew him,
of how they took mercy on him and saved him from the evil one, (in this case
the neighbor cat.) Then he asked them to
think of their friends, and specifically about their friends who were not
walking with Christ. He compared their
friend to the bunny and challenged them to be as concerned for their friends’
spiritual well being as they were for that of Fighter.
So that is the challenge I offer to you
today. Do you know anyone who, like the
bunny, is hurting because of attacks of the evil one? We need to be a light in
the darkness for them. (Matt. 5:14-16)
Or
maybe it is you the enemy has been chewing on?
Did you know that even though we go through rough times here on earth,
God can use all of those trials and struggles for His glory? (Romans 8:28) Not only that but He promises
to walk through those valleys with you?
Please know there is hope for all of us this side of death. God loved you the instant He formed you and
He longs to rescue you from the jaws of the evil one, if you will only call out
to Him. He promises that if you seek Him
you will find Him. Can you believe I
learned all that from an Easter bunny?
Shine Ministries is an interdenominational
ministry seeking to encourage and equip women to SHINE their light for Christ
in every circumstance.
SHINE Ministries